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The second draft of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design 2012 standards is out, and the U.S. Green Building Council is accepting public comments from Aug. 1 to Sept. 14. The new draft reflects thousands of comments made on the first draft and includes some major changes, especially in the materials and resources section.

The overhaul of the materials section puts a new emphasis on both life-cycle assessment of building materials and transparency by manufacturers. This focus departs from Pilot Credit 43, which was just released in June to protest from environmentalists, particularly those interested in sustainable forestry practices.

The pilot credit relaxed LEED‘s standard for certified wood products – prior to the pilot credit, LEED would only award credits for wood that was certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council.

Now, the standard has swung back and FSC is again the only forestry certification recognized under the Responsible Sourcing credit, and the Materials Transparency credit has shifted away from Pilot Credit 43’s approach to recognizing other forestry certifications.

New requirements for sourcing of mined and extracted materials for concrete, steel and other materials are also included in the draft, although major certifications for those materials aren’t widely available yet.

Additional highlights in the second draft include more stringent credentials to earn the LEED Accredited Professional Credit, extensive changes to the credit language for operations and maintenance of existing buildings, and a nod to the sustainability of historic preservation. Historic projects and renovation of abandoned buildings are awarded maximum points in the New Building Reuse Credit.

If a final version of LEED 2012 is approved by USGBC members next year, it will be released in November 2012.